What It Means to Start Living
by xTsunderexTomatoxLovinox
Summary: This was originally posted on my old account, Moriko220, which I can no longer access...  BarryxOC When a storm keeps this ever energetic trainer from going out and training, what will he realize he's been missing out on, from always rushing forward? R&R!


BarryxOC

The skies above swirled, dark and ominous looking storm clouds covering the late afternoon sky. Then, as everyone had anticipated, rain began to fall in silent drops, one by one, before finally turning into a downpour as torrents of rain pelted the roofs of houses and buildings in the normally sunny little town. As the storm quickly approached and lightning began to flash overhead, everyone in Everglade Village (made up location) quickly ran for their homes.

"Ah, where the heck did this storm come from? This is crazy!" Ash shouted to his friends as they ran toward the Pokémon Center. As soon as they got inside the doors, he took off his hat to shake off the water and looked around his small group. "I guess that means no special training with Emily today, huh?" A blond haired boy sighed in annoyance and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, guess not…darn it. And I was really looking forward to it, too…" he mumbled, scowling out the window at the rain falling outside. Dawn smiled widely and looked at him.

"Oh, so you really like spending time with Emmy, huh, Barry?" she teased, giggling as she saw his face turn pink.

"Eh, I just wanted to be able to battle her again, that's all! I mean, you know… She's my rival, you know? It's not weird for me to want to battle her!" Barry forced down his blush and glared at the smirking girl. "Anyways, nothing we can do now except hang out around here…I guess."

"Well… I think we can still have fun, even if we're stuck inside," Emily said in her usually quiet voice, smiling. "We can just… hang out, I suppose. You know, have a day of relaxation and fun indoors." Dawn squealed and grabbed the other girl's hands and started jumping up and down.

"Oh, what a great idea! We can do each other's hair and makeup, and I can show you my contest dress, and you can let me try yours on, and- oh, well, if it's okay, that is- but yeah! And we can stay up all night talking about Pokémon, and Pokétch stuff, and boys! But first, you just _have_ to tell me how you keep your hair so straight and pretty, Emmy!" She finished with a huge grin and began to pull her friend to Nurse Joy's desk, where their oldest friend Brock was already trying to flirt with the older woman. Ash rolled his eyes and pulled the energetic girl off of Emily, telling her to go find a room for them to stay in. "Hmph, fine… But I mean it, Emmy, you're so going to spill about your hair secrets! I want to know how to fix my frizzy hair!" With that, she disappeared into one of the hallways, a flirty sway in her hips as she cast a final glance Ash's way.

Barry sighed and flopped into an armchair by a window, obviously aggravated at the sudden turn in the weather. "If the stupid rain weren't here… I'd be training and getting ready for my next trip. Oh well…" He leaned back and folded his hands behind his head, staring up at the blank ceiling as his thoughts wandered. 'More importantly, I'd be training with Emily… Dawn had it right, I do like spending time with her, but she's just a friend and a rival to me. That's all she is… right?' Another heavy sigh, and he closed his eyes, visions of the quiet, auburn haired girl coming to his mind. 'Maybe… maybe I'm wrong. Emily is… she's really nice, and she's always smiling… even when she shouldn't. She's a really strong opponent, and a powerful ally… Maybe… Do I really-'

"-ry? … Barry?… Maybe he fell asleep…" Barry's eyes snapped open as the voice of the very person he'd been thinking of came from beside him. She was knelt besides his chair, a hand rested on the arm of the chair and a worried look on her face. "Ah, I-I didn't mean to startle you… I didn't wake you, did I?" The blond haired boy shook his head and sat up, trying his best to ignore how close she was to him.

"Nah… The rain makes me sleepy," he lied, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. She quickly stood and nodded, brushing the wrinkles out of her black lounge pants. Unlike Dawn, who wore that annoyingly short skirt and tight tank-top of hers, Emily was always dressed modestly, with practically everything covered. She was different than all of the other girls who took part in contests, who tried to show themselves off more than their Pokémon . She was… different. Emily looked at him, mouth open, as if to say something, but she closed it again and looked down nervously. "Did you need something, Emmy?" He asked her, not wanting to make direct eye contact as his previous thoughts came back to him.

"O-oh, um…well… Ash and Dawn have gone to their room, and Brock is still with Nurse Joy, so…" she said, fidgeting with the hem of her long-sleeved shirt as she paused, glancing down at the floor. "I was wondering if…maybe… w-we could go and train together…" Barry felt his heart flutter slightly as he felt himself nodding instinctively.

"Y-yeah, sure… I-I mean, of course! You owe me a battle, anyways, and this will help me grow even stronger for my trip to the Elite Four someday soon!" he said, his face flushing from excitement and something else he wasn't quite familiar with. Emily gave him an odd smile before heading out the door, leaving Barry to follow her into the rain, a battle already started in his head. His thoughts lingered over her smile; one with excitement and warmth, yet a hint of sadness mixed within. 'Maybe… she's more than just a friend now…' ~

"Riolu, please use aura sphere, full power," Emily called to her Pokémon. Just as she commanded, the small Riolu focused the power of its aura into an orb of blue, glowing energy and fired it at its opponent: Barry's Empoleon. The water Pokémon fell to the muddy ground in defeat, completely exhausted from the long battle.

"Darn… Empoleon, nice work. Return!" Barry held out its Poké Ball and withdrew it from the battle. He sighed, then returned the ball to his belt and advanced toward his opponent. "You've gotten a bit tougher since our last battle, I'll admit. I will beat you someday soon, though, so watch out!" The girl smiled wearily, returning her Riolu to the comfy Luxury Ball she used to contain it and put it in her backpack.

"I know. That's why I keep training, so I can give you a worthwhile battle when you face me next," she said, moving a lock of soaked brunette hair out of her eyes. "Thank you for agreeing to battle me, Barry… despite the weather. I really enjoyed it… as usual." Barry smiled back at her, feeling that strange flutter he felt every time she was around him.

"Nah, it's nothing. I should really be thanking you. This is really good practice for me, since I plan to be the strongest trainer in the entire world someday," he said enthusiastically, making a fist in front of him as he felt the adrenaline of the battle still circulating within his system. He was lost in his thoughts of battles against the Elite Four and the Sinnoh Champion when a quiet sneeze interrupted them. "Hey… maybe we should get inside. We don't want to catch cold out here." She nodded, shivering slightly as the wind began to pick up, and they made their way back to the Pokémon Center. Once there, they quickly closed the door behind them. The rain had picked up, feeling like needles on any exposed skin, and the winds were nearly strong enough to blow them over on their way back.

"Man… Things went from bad to worse pretty quickly, huh?" Barry asked, looking at the shivering girl beside him in the doorway. She nodded, her teeth chattering audibly as she rubbed her arms desperately in an attempt to warm herself up.

"Y-yes, it seemed t-to get a lot w-worse v-very quickl-ly…" He looked at her worriedly before running off to the front desk of the Pokémon Center and returning with a towel.

"Here, you'll end up freezing to death if you don't get dried off…" he said as he wrapped the towel around her shoulders, blushing when she accidentally brushed her hand against his as she grasped at the towel, pulling it around her more tightly.

"Barry…? Your face is r-red… Oh, you're n-not sick, are you?" she asked in a slight panic, putting a hand to his forehead. His face flushed further, turning almost scarlet, and he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his head.

"N-no, I'm fine… Don't worry about it," he said quietly, quickly releasing her hand when he realized he had forgotten to let go and making his way to the small room he'd rented. As soon as he closed the door behind him he changed into a pair of black pajama pants and a white sleep shirt. 'What is wrong with me… Why did I just freeze up when she touched my forehead? It's not like she did anything extreme…' He laid down on one of the two beds and folded his hands behind his head, sighing quietly. "It's probably just exhaustion… I'll get some sleep and be fine by tomorrow," he said to himself as he closed his eyes, preparing himself for sleep. 'I had no idea anything could be so soft… It felt like silk, almost… and she's really warm, too.' He growled slightly and rolled over, trying to force himself to sleep. 'I wonder what other things I don't know about her…Maybe if I just slowed down a bit then I could learn more about her…' "Ugh, this is pointless… Why am I thinking about this?" he cried out in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "…" A knock on the door broke the silence, and he sighed and rolled onto his back. "It's open." The door opened slowly and Emily stepped in, a steaming mug in each hand.

"Um… I thought that some hot chocolate would help warm you up a bit. The rain was really cold… " she said, holding out a cup to him. He sat up and took it, muttering a quick thanks before taking a long drink. "…Um… I-I should probably get going then… I have to get ready for my trip to Snowpoint City tomorrow." She started heading for the door and Damion quickly sat up with his legs crossed in front of him, coughing as he nearly choked on his drink.

"W-wait a minute! …You can do that later. Why don't you just… hang out here for a little bit?" he said, fighting back a blush that threatened to overtake his face. Emily looked at him, seeming startled, before nodding and sitting on the bed a few feet away from him. He sighed, suddenly feeling nervous. 'It's no big deal… friends hang out all the time. Only… I'm not sure she's a friend anymore…'

"What's wrong…? You've been acting strangely lately… And after Dawn made that comment earlier, it's gotten even worse. Are you okay…?" She gently touched his hand, a worried look on her face. Barry blushed darker and shied away from her.

"I-I'm fine… really… It's just that I… I'm confused…" he said, looking at the wall beside him to prevent making eye contact with her.

"About what…? I don't think that I-" She stopped as he stood suddenly, making his way to the window as he stared out into the rain. "…Bar-"

"I don't either! … I don't understand it. I thought… I thought I had everything all worked out. But now…," he said, his hands tightening into fists as he paused, "Now I just don't know what to do…" Emily went to stand beside him, hesitantly speaking.

"Wh-what don't you understand…? Maybe…I can help you…" she said quietly, looking up at him worriedly. He sighed and turned to face her, his expression troubled.

"…I thought you were my friend…" he said, and Emily felt her heart jump as a slight panic set in.

"I-I am! I-if this is about something I've done, th-then I'm really sorry, Barry…"

"No… I mean…," his eyes averted to look back out the window as he clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. "…I thought that was all you were… My friend and my rival. But… lately, I just… I'm not sure if that's…all you are to me anymore…" A bright blush rose to his cheeks as he awaited her reaction. She seemed to not understand for a second, but she soon blushed darkly, looking down at the ground. Silence… then Barry sighed and turned away from her. "Look, just… just forget I said any of that… It's stupid, anyways." He jumped slightly when he felt her gently grab his wrist, stopping him from leaving.

"I-I…hn… I-I never thought I'd get to see this side of you… All I usually see is you running ahead…" she murmured quietly, slowly moving closer to him until she was nearly leaning against his back. "…I-I was so sure… th-that I'd never get to actually talk with you… You never sit still for more than a minute… I wish it would rain more often, if that's what caused it…" She sighed quietly, grasping the back of Barry's shirt more tightly. "…I've known for a while that… I didn't think of you as just a friend or rival… I-I really…really like you, Barry…" The boy froze as he heard a quiet sniffle come from behind him and felt her forehead touch between his shoulders. "Y-you're the only person I have here… M-my family is back home, so… I-I've always felt so alone here… W-well, until you come around, that is…" Barry hesitantly turned around to look at the girl. His heart nearly sank when he saw the crystalline tears in her bright amethyst eyes.

"Emily…" he sighed quietly, feeling like a bully for making her cry.

"I-I'm sorry…" she said as she quickly wiped her eyes, trying her best to smile up at him. He frowned, his brows drawn together, as he realized something now made painfully obvious. 'Every time I ran off after I lost a battle to her, when she smiled and waved… she was really lonely and sad.' "I-I'm alright now… I guess I just got a little emotional for a minute there…heheh." She laughed a painful, forced laugh and smiled up at him, tears still falling from her closed eyes.

"Emily… I'm sorry," he said, grasping her hands in his own and looking her straight in the eyes. She blushed and looked away, her smile fading.

"…It's okay. Just… promise me you'll slow down a bit from now on…" she said quietly.

"…I don't just want to slow down a bit… I want to be with you," Barry said, blushing more as he spoke. "I-I… I want to be able to see things, people, Pokémon, everything the way you do…I want to stay with you, and I…I-I think it's because… I-I really like you, too…" Emily stared up at him in surprise before her eyes began to tear up more and she pulled her hands away to quickly wipe the tears before they could be seen.

"Ngh… …I-I'm sorry, I really d-don't know wh-why I'm crying…" she said, wiping at her eyes more roughly. Barry grasped her hands in his and moved them away from her face, tilting her chin up with his thumb and index finger so she met his eyes. "…I-I don't feel sad, so… s-so why am I crying…?"

"Maybe… you're happy? Does it make you feel better to know that you won't be alone anymore…?" he asked, brushing a stray lock of her light brown hair out of her face. She blushed and nodded, a fresh wave of tears coming as she hesitantly moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his back in a gentle hug. He smiled as her quiet sobs began to sound more like soft laughter, and he hugged her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders and another around her waist. "…So I take that as a yes?" She smiled warmly up at him, her face flushed and her eyes reddened, but she had never looked so beautiful to him since they knew each other.

"I… I feel like I'm complete somehow… Like I just got my first gym badge all over again. But… It's just not the same. Either way, yes… I'm very happy, Barry…" she said softly as she leaned her head onto his shoulder, blushing as she did so. Barry felt his face flush at hearing this and chuckled quietly, rubbing her back gently.

"No, no they're not the same, but it makes for a good comparison. Or… maybe more like you just caught that Pokémon you always wanted to raise, huh?" he said with a grin, causing her to smile also.

"Whatever this feels like…I like it. A lot. And I really hope that nothing can take this away…" She trailed off, hugging him more tightly. He knew what she meant: Team Galactic. They were rampaging across Sinnoh still, trying to create their new world they're after. If anyone could do what she feared, it'd be them.

"Nah, they're just a bunch of Halloween-costume-wearing freaks. They look like they came from outer space! There's no way they'd be able to do anything that bad," he said, grinning down at her reassuringly. She still looked unsure, but quickly smiled back and nodded, re-burying her face in his chest. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Um… I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Barry and Emily jumped and looked toward the door, seeing Brock standing in the doorway. The two blushed darkly in embarrassment as the older trainer chuckled quietly, a smile on his face.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but dinner's ready, if you want it," he said, laughing more as Barry began to stutter a reply.

"H-haven't you heard of knocking? What if I were changing or something and you just barged in like that?" he yelled, his face a bright crimson mess. Brock thought for a moment, before snickering, his smile growing wider.

"I would have asked what you were doing changing in front of Emily." Damion felt his face heat up as he realized what had just been said, and he muttered incoherently as he turned back to the window.

"Um… W-we'll be right there, Brock, th-thank you…" Emily said quietly, smiling at the older Pokémon breeder. "O-oh, and um… Will you not tell Dawn or Ash yet…? I-I don't think I could survive an interrogation from her…" Brock laughed and nodded, saying he wouldn't before he left, closing the door behind him. "… Th-that should keep Dawn from teasing you…for a while, at least."

"Yeah, I guess…" Barry sighed before pulling her into another embrace before leading her out the door, holding her hand in his own. At first, she had to jog to keep up with his longer strides, but, after noticing this, he slowed down. Emily smiled, her heart fluttering happily. 'I won't have to chase after him anymore, it looks like… I'm glad.' The rain slowed before finally letting up, the sunset showing through an opening in the dark clouds. The combined colors of gold, red, and orange were beautiful, like autumn had completely overtaken the sky. Barry stopped suddenly, looking out the window with her. He had an expression of wonder and amazement on his face, and he squeezed her hand gently. "I see now… I've been missing out on the best parts of life, rushing around like I always have. I can't believe I missed something so beautiful…" He looked down at her, making her blush slightly. "And I'm not just talking about the sky…" He leaned closer to her, her violet eyes seeming to draw him in, almost drowning in them. Emily blushed more but didn't move away, staring back into his eyes. "You're just… so…" Their lips met softly in a short yet warm kiss, and both felt their faces burning. "Beautiful…" The girl, red faced and bright eyed, standing before him was, he realized, the single most beautiful thing in the world. He felt like an idiot for taking so long to realize. He may as well have not been living at all if he was this ignorant. Emily's eyes closed slightly, her quivering fingers reaching up to touch her lips, and both were silently and intently looking into each others' eyes.

"The best parts of life, huh? … Then-" She grabbed his hand in hers, walking again and leading him, " you can start living now… with me, Barry..." The blond haired boy smiled warmly, walking alongside her again as they went to join their friends, the memory of the sunset vivid in their minds. The end of the day led to the beginning of something new… Something that would last forever.

(A.N.- Thus ends my first pokemon fanfic... I know, it's just one of those "Rainy day ruins plans, but they do it anyways" sort of thing, and I fixed the honorifics that were annoying people, and I changed the names back into English format. If I missed anything, then please feel free to let me know. I may be writing a much longer fanfiction based off of this, now, with how they first meet and everything else. Still unsure, though. Anyways, please R&R, since reviews are appreciated and let me know what you all think of my writing.)


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